Venkatesh Prasad, the former India pacer, is set to become the next president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) following the scrutiny of nominations filed for various positions. Prasad had previously served as the vice-president in the Kumble-led administration between 2010 and 2013.
Along with Prasad, who was leading Team Game Changers, K.N. Shanth Kumar from Team Brijesh and former women's cricketer Kalpana Venkatachar had filed their nominations for the president's post. However, the nomination of Shanth Kumar - Director of The Printers (Mysore) Pvt. Limited - was rejected on technical grounds, and Venkatachar - also part of Game Changers - later withdrew her candidature, leaving Prasad as the lone valid nominee for the top post.
Prasad's panel, however, faced a setback of its own as former treasurer Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who was expected to contest for the secretary's post, failed the scrutiny round on technical grounds.
"This decision has been a personal setback, but it has not shaken my commitment or my resolve. In fact, it has only strengthened my belief in the change we are all striving for. My full strength, energy, and unwavering support now stand firmly behind Team Game Changers, ably led by our legendary cricketer Venkatesh Prasad," Mruthyunjaya said in a statement.
Venkatachar had also filed nominations for multiple other posts - vice-president, treasurer and a spot on the managing committee (as a life member). From Team Game Changers, Sujith Somasundar, Santosh Menon and B.N. Madhukar are among the vice-president nominees who cleared scrutiny.
Somasundar, who recently stepped down as Head of Cricket Education at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, had already been announced as the panel's vice-president candidate. This means other Game Changers members who cleared scrutiny may withdraw from that contest, leaving Somasundar going up against Team Brijesh's D Vinod Sivappa for the vice-president's post.
The scrutiny list also confirmed valid nominations across all posts:
President: Venkatesh Prasad, Kalpana Venkatachar (withdrawn)
Vice-president: D. Vinod Sivappa, Santosh Menon, Sujith Somasundar, Kalpana Venkatachar, B.N. Madhukar
Secretary: E.S. Jairam, Sujith Somasundar, Santosh Menon
Joint secretary: B.K. Ravi, A.V. Shashidhara, Avinash Vaidya
Treasurer: B.N. Madhukar, M.S. Vinay, B.N. Subramanya, A.V. Shashidhara, Kalpana Venkatachar
Managing committee (life members): Kalpana Venkatachar, Sailesh N. Poll, V.M. Manjunath, Sanjai Ashok Anand Poll, Vagesh Prasad B.S., K.S. Kedarnath, Avinash Vaidya
The window for withdrawal closes on November 26, following which the final list of eligible candidates will be announced. As per a High Court directive, the KSCA elections are scheduled for December 7, under the supervision of retired High Court judge Justice Subash B. Adi, with Dr. B. Basavaraaju, I.A.S. (Retd.) serving as the Electoral Officer.